17 years later, police vans 'encroach' razed dargah land

VADODARA: In 2006, the civic body razed a dargah in a bid to free space near the historic Champaner Gate in the Walled City. However, 17 years on, the efforts seem wasted as the spot got buried under two heavyweight police vans that have not budged an inch after they were parked there in May 2006.
The demolition was undertaken then to clear encroachments but it led to fierce communal riots that left six people dead.
A local court recently acquitted 18 people who were accused of rioting and damaging public property after the razing. However, the 'encroachment' by police is ironically not just causing traffic snarls but also risking lives of the locals.
In fact, the two vans occupy double the space of the dargah. "The whole purpose of the razing has been defeated," said Deepak Chawla, who owns the shop right behind the vans that have proved to be more than just eyesore for the last 17 years.
"The vans don't just create traffic jams but severely affect our retail business too as the view of three shops is blocked. Add it to the filthy condition of the vans that are rarely cleaned," Chawla told TOI.
Soon after the dargah was razed, two vans were stationed at the spot to ensure that no one tries to rebuild the dargah there again.
The mangled vans are in such a state of disrepair that their tyres have sunk into the road. "If they didn't want to free the space, then what was wrong with dargah? At least, the place was looked after well and cleaned daily," said another local.